The median annual wage for painters, construction and maintenance was $36,580 in May 2015. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $23,900, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $63,170.

The starting pay for apprentices is usually between 40 percent and 70 percent of what fully trained painters make. Apprentices receive pay increases as they learn to do more.

Workers who specialize in painting structures, such as bridges, tend to have higher wages.

Most painters work full time. About 4 in 10 were self-employed in 2014. Self-employed workers may be able to set their own schedule.